Winning is a state of mind“The world is not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will bring you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it” (Rocky Balboa 2006). This partial quote from the sixth Rocky movie is all too true. When life knocks us down, then we have to make a decision. Should we stay down and accept defeat, or do we choose to get back up and continue fighting? When you accept defeat and accept your loss, you fall into a pattern of accepting all your failures, because losing is a state of mind and that is when you have truly failed. But fortunately, winning is also a state of mind. Winning and refusing to accept defeat is a state of mind. The first step to being a winner is to think like one. This was a difficult lesson for me to learn, but at this point in my life, I am finally beginning to understand this concept in its entirety. How do some people manage to chain up three to four ton elephants with nothing but a rope? The explanation lies in their education. All its life, the elephant is raised chained to a rope, so that once it reaches maturity, it has no idea of ​​its real strength. Growing up, my life wasn't perfect, but if I had the chance, I wouldn't change any aspect of my upbringing. Okay, maybe I'll try changing a few events. Like my parents' divorce or maybe some grades I got on my tests, but not much else. But I grew up chained by my own “rope”. Growing up, I was a little introverted, but what kid isn't a little shy when they're young? But this personality trait mixed with my shyness and somewhat emotional side was a combination that to some extent prevented me from reaching middle of paper...... as some might have done, I didn't. I wouldn't have done it. plays. Especially if I thought I would get hurt more, but since I thought I could contribute to my team, it was my obligation to them to try. And although I played cautiously, I played without fear and with self-confidence. “…..it’s not about how hard you hit. It's about knowing how hard you can be hit and still move forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. This is how you win! (Rocky Balboa 2006). By choosing to get back up when life knocked me down, I discovered that even at my lowest, I can still persevere and achieve great feats. My life is by no means easy, but what some might consider setbacks, I see as life pushing me into the “deep end.” I see a challenge and an opportunity to try to swim and achieve greatness. And once you get into the habit of “swimming”, winning becomes a state of mind.